TCM market is well-developed in South Africa. A group from South Africa are enjoying massage during their visit to TCM WINDOW.

A group from South Africa are enjoying massage for relaxation during their visit to TCM WINDOW.

South Africa is one of the countries on the African continent where the TCM market is comparatively well-developed. The mode of TCM market development in South Africa can serve as reference when considering exploring the TCM market in other African countries and the world at large. The development of the TCM market in South Africa began with the initial use of the acupuncture therapy in the country nearly 30 years ago, especially after the end of apartheid in 1994 when the South African government adopted a relatively open policy on herbal medicine regulation including Chinese herbal medicine, and thereby provided opportunities for introducing TCM businesses into the market.

In 2000, the South African government went through the legislative process to recognize the legality of supplementary medicine including acupuncture. From February to August 2002, the Government of South Africa required that all herbal products be lawfully declared and registered before entering the South African market. Some Chinese and local South-African pharmaceutical businesses took this opportunity to have successfully registered a number of varieties of traditional Chinese pharmaceuticals and drugs including the Essential Balm, Ren Dan, safflower oil, Florida water, Liushen pills and other products which have by then already established good reputation in African countries. In the last 10 years, the Yunnan Baiyao, compound danshen dripping pills (CSDP) and a number of traditional Chinese pharmaceutical products have also got settled down in South Africa. The legal recognition of the Chinese acupuncture in South Africa in 2003 led the development of the TCM market in the country further onto the legalization track. Since then, the clinical application and trade of Chinese herbal medicine began entering a phase of rapid development. In 2011, TCM was officially incorporated into the health care system of South Africa.